1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to highly useful pyrimidinyl phosphates, phosphorothioates and phosphorodithioates which are effective insecticides particularly against corn rootworm, thrips, leafhoppers and nematodes when applied to the soil of such crops as corn, sorghum, cotton and sugar beets, and codling moth, beet army worm, tobacco budworm, bollworm and cabbage looper when applied to the foliage of appropriate crops.
2. Description of Prior Art
It has long been a desired objective in the art to provide an insecticide effective and useful in the control of soil pests or insects such as corn rootworm. It is also desirable to provide an insecticide with systemic activity whereby the insecticide can be soil incorporated and to have the insecticide taken up effectively by growing crops and delivered to the point of attack by insects by systemic activity or translocation within the plant. It is, moreover, desirable to provide an effective, useful insecticide for the control of chewing, sucking insects upon making foliar application of the pesticide on the plants to be protected.
Phosphate esters similar to the present compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,423, which discloses the compound O,O-diethyl O-(2-(1-methylethyl)-4-methyl-6-pyrimidinyl)phosphorothioate which is sold commercially under the mark DIAZINON. The patented compounds are made from 6-pyrimidinols whereas the present compounds are prepared from 5-pyrimidinols. The present compounds have surprisingly greater activity and effectiveness than do the corresponding patented compounds with similar ring substituents, particularly against a rather broad spectrum of insects combated by application of the active ingredient to the soil of a crop such as corn, sorghum, cotton, potatoes and sugar beets, as well as against insects controlled by foliar application of the pesticide.
Other pyrimidinyl phosphate esters prepared from 2-pyrimidinols or 4-pyrimidinols are well known to the art.
Some of the present compounds and their insecticidal use are described in Belgian Pat. No. 858,996 published Mar. 23, 1978.